A Different Approach to Running During Pregnancy

Around this time two years ago I wrote a post called “I Wish I Hadn’t Run During Pregnancy.” And at the time all the drama of a feared bladder prolapse had me feeling regretful. I truly wished I had made different choices when it came to how much I ran and how far along I was before I stopped (I ran up until three days before my due date).

Pictures from my pregnancy in 2012. I ran and raced late into my third trimester.

Now I am pregnant with Baby #3 and thanks to what I learned during my second pregnancy and postpartum, my approach to running during pregnancy this time around is going to be VERY different.

Fear of Losing Fitness. At the beginning of 2012 I was coming off a comeback year. I’d been away from running for three years, had come back and was having a bit of a “breakthrough,” or so I thought. When I found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted to run through pregnancy to try and maintain as much fitness as possible. I didn’t want to “miss a beat” when I returned after having the baby. All of that set me up for a lot of unnecessary pressure. This time around: no pressure. I’m not motivated by a desire to “keep my fitness”. I know that getting back to the fitness level I was at this year (which is far beyond where it was in 2011/2012) is going to be hard work and I know it will take time. I’m OK with the fact that I’ll “loose fitness” over the course of my pregnancy. The driving motivation behind running during pregnancy will not be to prevent fitness loss, but to to stay healthy, have fun and do what I love.

Expectations for Running During Pregnancy. I don’t think I set out in 2012 with the goal of running through my entire pregnancy, but I certainly made it quite far running up to just a few days before my due date. It wasn’t an articulated goal, but the further I got into the pregnancy the more I wanted to run to the end. And I think it was running later in the pregnancy that did some damage and caused me to have a lengthy recovery postpartum. The fact is the further you get into your pregnancy the more lax the ligaments and supporting muscles of your pelvic floor become. [A great resource on pelvic floor health can be found HERE.] The pounding of running late into the third trimester did me no favors: it strained and stretched an area (the pelvic floor) the that was already under a lot of pressure, making it even harder to tone and firm that area after giving birth. My approach this time will be much different. I’ve already run, quite comfortably through the first trimester without any real issues with leaking.

This October 26th at the CHaD HERO 5K: 3 months pregnant with baby #3.

I’ll be honest though, one of the first things that tipped me off to being pregnant (before I even took a test) was the fact that I leaked during a hard track session. Leaking has happened only a handful of times since my pregnancy in 2012. I’ve done a lot of PT and taken a different approach to my cross training to ensure that my pelvic floor and core are a lot stronger than they were. But I haven’t kept up 100% with some of the pelvic floor exercises so there have been times when I have leaked: mostly when hormones are flowing (which causes laxity in the pelvic floor) and I’m running really hard. Since that first episode back in August I haven’t had any issues. Even though I’m much improved from where I was during my pregnancy in 2012 (I leaked on nearly every run) I don’t plan to push my running late into the third trimester. As I progress in my pregnancy, I plan to scale back on the running and replace running with strength training and PT exercises: specifically what I worked on over the summer. I also plan to get back to barre class, which incorporates so much pelvic floor and core work. The third trimester will be less focused on going for one.more.run and more about gaining strength and setting myself up for a better postpartum recovery.

Postpartum Goals. When I gave birth in September 2012 I had my sights set on a spring marathon. That goal, even though it was eight months away would require that I start training in December or January-only three months postpartum. This time around I have no intentions of setting any postpartum race goals. In fact I don’t plan on going anywhere near a marathon until at least a year after I give birth. I know that to perform in a marathon at the level I would like, my body has to be back 100%, and I don’t feel 100% myself until I’m on longer breast feeding and if history repeats itself that will be around 12 to 13 months postpartum. Not to mention the amount of sleep required to stay healthy and survive a demanding marathon training schedule. And if history repeats itself in that department it will take a good 3-6 months before baby #3 is sleeping through the night. So any marathons will have to wait until 2016. My return to running is going to be gradual, less focused on a goal race an more focused on getting stronger and building a base. The only race I know for certain I’d like to do in 2015 is the CHaD HERO 5K in October of 2015, and that will be a 5K five months postpartum. It’s doable, doesn’t require a lot of training and is a “no pressure” race. Depending on how I feel there may be other races, but whether or not I run them will be completely dependent on my postpartum recovery. I plan to take the recommended six weeks postpartum to recover before running, that doesn’t mean I won’t work in some cross training or biking in the interim. And regardless of whether or not it is recommended, I’ll be making a trip to see the women’s health PT who I saw last time around to ensure that I’m really ready to get back to running before I actually do so. Honestly, I’m just looking forward to snuggling that little one when they arrive. Big goals and hard running can wait until 2016.

In all of my pregnancies I’ve always been incredibly conscious of how my running might affect the growing baby inside me but haven’t always been conscious of how my running was affecting me. I think that when you’re a competitive, type-A personality like myself it can be hard to set those sentiments aside for the sake of your own health. I’m definitely living and learning in regards to finding the right approach to fitness during pregnancy, I’m hoping this time around I get it right. Honestly, I’m just looking forward to snuggling that little one when they arrive. Big goals and hard running can wait until 2016.

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Wonderful post. So wise. I attempted to run through my second pregnancy and ended leaking amniotic fluid. That kicked my butt. It reminded me that my well-being and this wonderful little boy’s well-being was more important than keepingn my fitness or running goals. I am so glad that you are being so kind to yourself now and preparing yourself for a healthy postpartum. Many blessings to you and your baby. ❤️

Great post and congrats on your pregnancy! I’m four and half months postpartum (from my first) and I ran through about three-quarters of my pregnancy (stopped in the third trimester). I also did barre for the entire duration up until the day I went into labor, and I really think that’s what saved me from a lot of pelvic floor issues. I had some very, very, very minor issues for the first few weeks I was running after I had the baby (weeks 6-8 postpartum). Barre is a wonderful way to keep core muscles strong and there are plenty of ways to modify it for pregnancy, too!

Love your blog, by the way (found it when I was pregnant and searching for other women who ran during pregnancy).

So glad the blog has been helpful for you! I love barre! The studio I go to is 45 minutes away so it is a bit of a trek so I’ve been waiting for the weather to turn cold before heading back, but I’m looking forward to getting in there and really working my core! It’s the only form of cross training that kicks my butt like running does!

yay congrats on baby 3! Your last blog about this I read when I was about 6 mon preg with my second. With advice from my women’s health PT and happening upon your blog that same day, I stopped running during that preg and got on the spin bike. I also took my time postpartum and made every spin class count until 12 weeks postpartum. I am SO glad I listened to my PT and your advice– this return to running after baby 2 was injury free, prolapse free and I just ran my half marathon PR at 9 mon pp. SO WORTH THE WAIT. Rock on. Thank you for the honest and insightful advice which is a beacon out there among all the prego brag running posts. As my PT reminded me- hey it’s safe for baby but don’t you care about your pelvic floor? Thanks Sarah!!

I’m glad it was so helpful! And I’m glad it saved you the “live and learn” experience of having to go through the “wrong way” first. I agree, there’s a lot of prego brag posts out there and I think I sort of wanted to be that before…so sad…but honestly I should have put my pride aside and my competitive nature. This time around I know better.

Thanks for sharing your perspective. It is really helpful for me to read. If I have a baby in 2015 and get into Boston 2016, I plan to be there, but to run for fun — no pressure, easy running, etc. I have NO idea what will be possible, but I’m looking forward to continuing to learn from you and other mother runners out there. Like how you were the last time around, I hate the idea of having to start all over to rebuild, but I also know that it is possible. xo

I think your approach with this pregnancy is great and you’re really taking time to make sure not only the baby will be healthy but yourself too. As mom it’s easy to put the baby first and forget about yourself! I’ve been wanting to try barre for so long, I knew it was a lot of core strengthening, but didn’t think of how that relates to pelvic floor – maybe I’ll finally give it a try! Rebuilding fitness and mileage after pregnancy is tough but doable, I know I felt even more accomplished after finishing my two halves this year knowing I gave just birth last summer!

This is so interesting to read Sarah, and it really makes me think about what i want to do when that situation arises. The last thing I would ever want is to harm my child, so I will need to think long and hard about this, especially as my running is my career right now. Thankfully that is a few years down the road, but I need to start thinking about it!

I think this just goes to show that things happen for a reason, it makes sense why you were having such a rough time, and especially with your plans for the pregnancy, it was the right thing to happen. I am so exited for you, and so proud you have let go of that fear 🙂

Great post–I love your words about always wondering how running affects the baby but not worrying about yourself. That’s where I was during my pregnancy–I had my first baby three months ago and ran until a week before my due date. I’m about to start PT for some core issues I attribute to the running. At the time, I thought I had to keep running so I could easily regain my fitness after pregnancy. Now I realize fitness is so much more than just running! If I’d realized how running so late into my pregnancy would affect other aspects of my fitness, aspects I took for granted before, I think I would have stopped a lot sooner.
Love your blog–I also found it searching for other women who ran through pregnancy!

Thanks for sharing! I ran until “labor day” with my first and didn’t have any lingering issues. But, we’re halfway through pregnancy with number two and I haven’t run in over a month because I just don’t feel like it. This seemed shameful at first, but with the perspectives I’ve seen from other running moms like you, I don’t feel bad at all. Still doing strength training and some cross training, so I know it won’t be so hard to start running again…whenever that time may be!

I love that I stumbled across this! While I’m not pregnant (or even married, actually), I’m close to engagement with my boyfriend and hope to be pregnant some day. I’ve thought often about running and fitness while pregnant, but I haven’t known where to even begin looking into information about that. It’s nice to start learning about these things now to keep in my back pocket for later! It’s nice to hear that it’s possible to work out throughout pregnancy, too, and I look forward to digging in and learning how to do it well when that time comes. Thanks for the post!

I’ve definitely learned so much through my pregnancies. I was a bit clueless the first time around, reckless the second time and this time I’m hoping to strike a good balance between staying fit and healthy and taking care of my body.

Hey girls, I am 23 weeks and Am a regular 5-10k runner but also enjoy kettlebell, weight based and body weight based exercise and yoga/stretching exercises but I’ve been maintaining some sprinting on the treadmill (which I’ve loved!) and walking on and off when it feels right and not going any more than 25 mins / I did have one leakage moment on a run-walk 10k Agee weeks ago but nothing since. Not sure if I should be stopping the sprinting due to pelvic floor damage that I may be unaware of.. Thoughts?? What weeks do u think I can carry on the intermittent sprinting until?

From my personal experience sprinting can be more damaging because of the pounding. My suggestion to still get more intense bouts of cardio is to do hill repeats. Run up then walk down. You’ll get your heart rate up like sprinting but without the high impact.

What a brilliant idea 🙂 thank you 🙂 I will get on it 🙂 did a little 2 miler this morning and half of that was up hill but I did walk about 3 times in total on my way round – really enjoyed it though – me and bump 🙂 xxx